Erin Seal (Photo: OCPO)
The ex-wife of a Grammy award-winning songwriter and producer, formerly of Toms River, stole approximately $100,000 from her former spouse, prosecutors alleged Wednesday.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office charged Erin Seal, 35, of Lindenwold, with theft after she surrendered to detectives alongside her attorney Wednesday.
According to a statement, an investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Economic Crimes Unit revealed that Seal devised a scheme to have music royalty checks made payable to her estranged husband, Manuel Seal, 60, formerly of Toms River, for his work as a Grammy Award winning songwriter and producer, forwarded “directly to her and for her benefit.”
Erin Seal “utilized a family member to cash those checks under the guise that she was lawfully entitled to them and relied upon fake emails purportedly sent by the victim to the defendant to support her criminal scheme,” the statement said.
During the time period spanning May 2018 through April 2020, Erin Seal fraudulently received approximately $100,000, authorities allege.
Manuel Seal has been nominated for 13 Grammy awards and has won one. He is credited with contributing to projects with such major artists as Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Usher, Nelly, Jermaine Dupri and Ron Isley.
His song “My Boo” from Usher’s 2004 album Confessions went on to sell more than 10 million copies in America.
After turning herself in, Seal was processed and released on a summons pending a future court date.
